Bavarian premier backs Merz as top candidate for German centre-right

Bavaria's conservative state premier, Markus Söder, endorsed centre-right Christian Democrat (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz on Tuesday as the opposition chancellor candidate for next year's nationwide parliamentary elections.

Söder, the chairman of the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), had been seen as the leading potential rival to Merz for the conservative bloc's top candidacy.

But in a joint press conference with Merz on Tuesday in Berlin, Söder said Merz would be the CDU/CSU's leader as the party seeks to knock off Chancellor Olaf Scholz's unpopular centre-left coalition.

Söder and Merz both stressed that the CDU/CSU needs to avoid a repeat of the 2021 election, which saw Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) pushing the conservatives from power after 16 years of rule under former chancellor Angela Merkel.

Some observers believe that infighting in the CDU/CSU, including a rivalry between Söder and the eventual candidate, Armin Laschet, weakened the party and contributed to the defeat.